A pair of Northwest Division teams lock up on the hardwood in search of a victory in the Mile-High City. The Oklahoma City Thunder are on the road as they make the trip to take on the Denver Nuggets Friday night. Oklahoma City downed the Knicks 129-120 at home in their previous contest Wednesday night in the second game of a back-to-back situation, covering the line as a 3.5-point favorite. Denver was at home as they hosted the Grizzlies Thursday night in the front half of a back-to-back situation. The Nuggets dropped the Warriors 120-114 at home on Christmas Day in their previous game, though they failed to cover the line as a 7.5-point favorite. In the all-time regular season series, the Thunder own a 103-94 advantage though the teams have split the two meetings this season. It was Oklahoma City picking up a 118-117 road win in the most recent matchup on December 16.

Oklahoma City Thunder Trying to Close Gap in Northwest Division

Oklahoma City won their second straight and their fifth in the last six games as they downed the Knicks at home in the second game of a back-to-back situation Wednesday night. The Thunder improved to 20-9 on the season and stand second in the Northwest Division, two games behind the Timberwolves for the top spot in the division. They were second in the Western Conference standings, two games behind Minnesota. Against New York, Oklahoma City raced to a 13-point lead after the opening quarter, led by as many as 17 early in the second quarter and saw the Knicks rally. The Thunder saw their lead trimmed to nine at the half and four after three quarters. Oklahoma City saw the lead narrowed to one in the opening minute of the fourth quarter but managed to maintain the lead en route to the victory. The Thunder shot 54.4% from the field, including 14 of 32 from beyond the arc, and forced 18 Knicks turnovers in the game. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (seven rebounds, eight assists) and Jalen Williams each had 36 points to lead Oklahoma City in the victory.

This season, the Thunder are 5th in the league in scoring offense as they average 121.3 points per game on the year. Oklahoma City is 28th in rebounding with 40.5 boards per contest while they are 17th in assists with 25.9 dimes a night. The Thunder are 14th in the league in scoring defense as they allow an average of 113.6 points a night. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the team with 31.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.5 assists per contest. Jalen Williams is the most reliable secondary scoring option with 18.3 points per game. The Thunder look to Josh Giddey (11.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists), Chet Holmgren (17.5 points, 7.8 rebounds), Cason Wallace and Isaiah Joe as other secondary scoring options. Aleksej Pokusevski, Luguentz Dort (11.1 points), Ousmane Dieng, Kenrich Williams, Davis Bertans and Aaron Wiggins have to be contributors if they hope to have success. Oklahoma City is 3rd in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 49.7% from the floor as a team on the year. The Thunder are 13th by hitting 12.9 threes per game and 2nd in three-point shooting by hitting 38.8% of their attempts from beyond the arc.

Denver Nuggets Playing Second Game of Back-to-Back at Home

Denver was at home Thursday night as they faced off with Memphis in the front half of a back-to-back set that concludes here. The Nuggets entered Thursday 22-10 on the season and stood third in the Northwest Division standings, 1.5 games behind the Timberwolves for the top spot. They held the third seed in the Western Conference playoff picture, 4.5 games ahead of the seventh-place Pelicans to hold a guaranteed playoff spot. Denver is a stellar 6-1 in the second game of back-to-back sets with a +7.4-ppg scoring margin (112.3 ppg for, 104.9 ppg against) in those situations this season. The Nuggets entered Thursday 12-2 at home with a +10.3-ppg scoring differential (120.9 ppg for, 110.6 ppg against) in those games. Denver is 14-8 against Western Conference teams with a +4.1-ppg scoring margin (114.6 ppg for, 110.5 ppg against) entering Thursday night.

On the year, Denver is 15th in the league in scoring offense with an average of 115.1 points per game this season. The Nuggets are 9th in rebounding by collecting 44.6 boards per contest while they are 3rd by dishing out an average of 29.3 assists a night. Denver stands 4th in scoring defense as they give up an average of 110.2 points a night. Nikola Jokic is leading the team in scoring with 26.4 points, 12.3 rebounds and 9.2 assists a night this season. Jamal Murray (19.8 points, 5.7 assists), Aaron Gordon (13.6 points, 6.9 rebounds), Michael Porter Jr. (16.5 points, 7.7 rebounds) and Christian Braun (8.4 points) each are solid scoring options. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (10.2 points), Peyton Watson, Reggie Jackson (12.5 points, 4.4 assists), Zeke Nnaji and Julian Strawther are among the other players that coach Michael Malone calls on in the rotation. The Nuggets are 4th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 48.9% from the floor. Denver is 23rd as they connect on 11.8 three-pointers a night while the team is 10th as they knock down 37.7% of their attempts from beyond the arc.

Gordon was out Thursday after being bitten on the face and hand by a dog, requiring stitches. It’s unlikely that he will take the floor here but watch for any information regarding his status closer to tip-off.